21 Quotes Now That You're 21

Motivation & Success

“Once upon a time you were a little girl with big dreams that you promised you’d make real one day. Don’t disappoint yourself”

“Wake up early. Drink coffee. Work hard. Be ambitious. Keep your priorities straight, your mind right and your head up. Do well, live well and dress really well. Do what you love, love what you do. It is time to start living”

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will” -Suzy Kassem

“Purpose fuels passion”

Family & Friendship

5. “Find your tribe. Love them hard”

6. “Because of you, I laugh a little harder, cry a little less, and smile a lot more”

7. “Stay close to people who feel like sunlight” -Xan Oku

8. “Keep the ones that heard you when you never said a word”

Life

9. “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist” -Oscar Wilde

10. “Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people”

11. “Forever is composed of now’s"

12. “I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together” – Marilyn Monroe

Humor

13. “Life is not a fairy tale. If you lose your shoe at midnight, you are drunk”

14. “I’m not great at the advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?” –Chandler Bing

15. “My favorite childhood memory is not paying bills”

16. “Some days, I can conquer the world. Other days, it takes me three hours to convince myself to shower”

Adventure & Travel

17. “I haven’t been everywhere but it’s on my list”

18. "Traveling—it leaves your speechless then turns you into a storyteller”

19. “Jobs fill your pocket; adventure fills your soul”

20. “Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times” -Asian Proverb

Thanking the People I Could Never Thank Enough

This week, I went through the experience of a nervous breakdown. Stress that had built up from the previous week built up, and I ultimately succumbed to it. What I did realize in the midst of it, though, was that I have some pretty amazing people who love me. For that, I am eternally grateful, and I wanted to show them just how much they mean to me with this article.

Thank you to the people who never once questioned me.

This week, I questioned myself a lot. My innermost workings consisted of "what could I have done better in (insert here)?" But it was in the people that I surrounded myself with that never questioned who I was or what I did. It gave me a glimmer of hope in the midst of the darkness.

Thank you to the people who had my back.

I know that I can be a lot to handle at points. But there are people who have stood by me and never once said that I was too much. In this time, they were essential for being the light that got me out of my own long tunnel. As humans, we don't exactly know why people come into our lives or for what reason, just that they do. It makes me incredibly happy to have the people that saw beyond the outside mess and were willing to still love me.

Thank you to the people who intervened and got me help when I needed it.

I didn't know it when I was in the situation, but my breaking down was a desperate cry for help. I know now that the people who did this care so deeply about me. I am fortunate enough to have those friends that pulled me aside and said they would get me the help I needed.

Thank you to my haters for being my motivators.

Only kidding, just figured the people reading this would need a break in the sappiness.

Thank you for those who did not judge me when I was a mess.

I only saw myself in the mirror once over the course of my stress induced meltdown. However, when I did look in the mirror, I saw what a hot mess I really was. For those who did not judge me, I am so forever grateful. You built me up in moments when I felt low, and I cannot thank you enough for doing that. I am so lucky to have the friends that I do.

Thank you to the people who encouraged me to take part in some much needed self care.

In this day and age, it is so essential to do things because you like to do them. For me, my self care involves watching Gilmore Girls, painting, and sitting at the piano and just playing. When I do these things, the world around me becomes less intimidating.

There is so much more I could say, but it would take more than an Odyssey article to do so. I love you all.

5 Reasons Why Galentine's Day Is The Best Holiday

In 2010, Leslie Knope created the holiday of Galentine’s Day.While Valentine’s Day is set February 14, and aimed to celebrate love between you and a significant other, Galentine’s Day is set February 13, and aimed to celebrate your friends who support you and are always there for you. While this holiday is a somewhat new idea, I argue that it is the best holiday of all, for so many reasons.

1. You get to spend time with friends!

Getting together with some of your favorite people and celebrating each other is an empowering thing! You get to make other people feel good about themselves, while also feeling good about yourself.

2. It’s a great opportunity to eat lots of food.

Sure, most holidays have some sort of food focus but most of the time there's a food-related precedent (Turkey for Thanksgiving, candy for Halloween, chocolate for Valentine’s Day), but for this holiday, you and your friends get to choose your own personal favorite snacks.

3. There’s no sadness about spending Galentine’s Day alone.

Most holidays are centered around spending time with family, and Valentine’s is all about spending it with someone.While Galentine’s Day can be focused on being with friends, it can also be about focusing on the number one “gal” in your life: you! It’s just important to uplift yourself as it is to uplift your friends.

4. There’s no judgment on Galentine’s Day.

You can be wearing sweats or a dress, eating pizza or a salad, crying over a sappy movie or dancing your favorite playlist. Galentine’s Day is a judgment-free holiday, so you get to do whatever makes you happy!